


Meeting Ellie

by slimwhistler



Series: Uncharted Territory [6]
Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 20:03:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6128539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slimwhistler/pseuds/slimwhistler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following Phryne's return from the hospital, various members of the extended 221B family turn up to meet the newest addition.  </p><p>First up, Paddy, because he insisted.  :-)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meeting Ellie

**Author's Note:**

> Dusting off the writing cobwebs with a fluffy snippet. Yeah, I’m going out of order again, in terms of the overall story arc , but that’s how my muse works, apparently. With regard to these “Meeting Ellie” shorts, I expected Bert and Cec to be the first to welcome Ellie home, but I completely adore Paddy, and he’s very vivid to me, so he insisted on the honor of the inaugural one. More will be forthcoming.
> 
> This particular chapter is for **S_Winter_Fitzgerald** , because she’s a star at encouragement and because she enjoys Paddy as much as I do. Also, it’s been a while, and as this is a short it’s unbetaed, so please forgive me if it’s a bit rusty. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Given Dot and Mr. B.’s reports about how Paddy had been haunting the kitchen in the weeks since Ellie’s birth, as eager for news of her recovery as for Dot’s scones, Phryne wasn’t particularly surprised to see him come barreling into the parlor not two hours after Mac’s rather grudging concession to Phryne’s plea that she be allowed to convalesce downstairs. It was quite a good thing that Mac had finally, blessedly, agreed, for Phryne had been nearly ready to resort to counting the cracks in the bedroom ceiling, and that wouldn’t have been good for anyone!

Paddy presented her with a small, rather bedraggled bouquet of flowers (“ I paid for ‘em fair and square, miss! I been selling papers!”), as well as a wooden bird that Ned had carved for Ellie. After assuring himself that his beloved Miss Fisher was well on the mend and no longer in any danger of expiring, he proceeded to regale her with tales of all of his latest exploits, all the while doing justice to several of Mr. Butler’s excellent sandwiches. His appetite appeased, and grinning with pleasure after having made Phryne laugh, Paddy asked to see Ellie. Jack fetched her quickly, bringing her into the room with a soft smile and bits of crooned nonsense. Phryne watched his face as he presented the baby to Paddy, at how pride mixed with the unreserved tenderness there. After nearly 6 weeks she was becoming accustomed to the expression, but at times it still brought her up short. Oh, Jack was open with her, and with Jane, of course, but never so consistently or completely as with Ellie, and it made Phryne feel rather tender herself at times. It certainly never failed to make her smile.

Jack’s pride shifted to concern when Paddy asked to hold the baby, but Jack handed her over regardless, with much fussing over blankets and admonishments to support her head properly, of course. Paddy considered her for a time, stroking her fingers and gently bopping the tiny nose. “She don’t look much like you, though, do she, miss?” he finally said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

“Goodness, Paddy, she’s only tiny!” Phryne exclaimed. “Besides, I don’t think it would be _so_ terrible if she looked a bit more like the inspector, do you?”

Paddy eyed Jack rather dubiously, then peered at Ellie intently once again. “I reckon she’ll turn out all right,” he conceded, but a smile played about his lips as he reached out to stroke her cheek. “Say,” he burst out after a moment, brightening considerably, “since **you** couldn’t wait for me, miss, maybe I’ll marry _her_ instead!" He beamed down at the baby. "Whaddaya say to that, princess?”

Jack stiffened at that, and looking between his alarmed face and Paddy’s grinning one, Phryne was hard-pressed to suppress a giggle. She wondered how long it would take for Jack to snatch back the baby, but mercifully, Paddy continued. “Nah, it’s me who’d have to wait too long this time,” he said somewhat regretfully, standing and giving Ellie back to Jack himself. “Shame, though.” He winked, and went in search of biscuits, while Phryne, for her part, dissolved into laughter at the flabbergasted look on Jack’s face.

**Author's Note:**

>  **SO** much fluff, I know, but hey. Fluff is good. It pleases me to think of Jack as a besotted daddy, so I am [mostly] unashamed of writing him that way. :-P
> 
> And since Phryne is Paddy’s queen, it’s only fitting that Ellie be his princess, no?
> 
> Let me know if I sent you into sugar-shock! :-P


End file.
